gerrychuck

Very true, and a very valid point. It most definitely is not a "me-too" bike and H-D is to be commended for that. Likewise, Draco_1967's point that most ADV bikes are fugly, particularly those hideous beaks, is also undeniably true, so why not separate yourself from the pack? More and more, I admire Harley for this machine. I hope they eventually build the Bronx, too, which I think is a great looking bike right out of the box.

As a Harley XR1200 rider (there are a few of us on this forum these days) I can say that it is possible to own and ride a Harley-Davidson without being a "Harley rider". The pirate ship jockeys want nothing to do with the XR or the people that ride it, which is more than fine with most of the folks on that red-headed stepchild of the H-D family. Many have never, and would never, own or ride any traditional Hog. I can't tell you how many disparaging remarks I've made over the years about Harleys and their pilots, but somehow I ended up riding, and enjoying, one for the last 6 years. As a result, I have followed the development of the Pan America for the past couple of years, and I am happy to see H-D make a genuine attempt to build a bike with actual 21st century technology. I expect there will be even less overlap between Harley's cruiser cult and those who will buy and ride the PA than there was with the XR, and I don't think much of the stigma will transfer over either. Having said all that, I also think that it looks like it was designed in the Battlestar Galactica prop department. But if it works like it's intended to, and honestly I hope it does, I doubt anyone will give you side-eye because it's a Harley. H-D's challenge is that they are introducing a bike that their base market won't have any interest in because it isn't their idea of a Harley, and if the rest of the motorcycling world isn't interested in it BECAUSE it's a Harley, they're in big trouble. It's already happened with the V-Rod and indeed with the XR. We shall see! In the meantime, I am looking forward to returning to the reliable world of Yamaha with my as yet unridden Tracer 900. I will miss the belt drive, though. My maintenance on the XR's final drive over the past 7000 km has been, um, zero. H-D has had one or two good ideas over the years...

Welcome from the Prairies (Moose Jaw, SK). I picked my new GT up a couple of weeks ago, and it is now patiently waiting in my hangar for spring riding weather. I'm also waiting, but not as patiently. So....I can't give you any useful info whatsoever! We'll have to compare first ride impressions when we get the chance!

I kinda just became an ex-pilot. I have been flying since 1987, and have owned/flown a Cherokee 140, Cherokee 180, C150, Grumman Tiger, and for the past 9 years the head and shoulders champ of the bunch, an RV-6A. That aircraft was sold and departed for its new home 2 days ago, subsequent to me losing my medical. On the other hand, my son is an active RCAF pilot, currently flying the Twin Otter out up in the NWT after a few years as an FO and then AC flying a big Airbus around the world, and a good friend of mine, who will probably keep his plane or project in my hangar, just made the Snowbirds team, so I will be able to continue flying vicariously through all my current and former pilot friends, most of whom have always been infinitely superior pilots anyway.

One of my reasons for buying the Tracer in place of my current XR1200 was that it at least makes it possible to do the "getting to the fun stuff" miles on the bike, thereby giving a lot more flexibility in terms of planning routes and stops once I get to the mountains, etc. My good friend Don, the legendary "Lakota" on the XR forum notwithstanding (he does cross-continent trips on his every year), most people would do everything possible to avoid long trips on the XR with its lack of creature comforts and small tank. So my solution has been a 5 x 10 enclosed trailer with a wheel chock and tiedown rings mounted in it. That combo has worked for three major trips requiring 1000 miles transit each way with no drama at all. When I bought the Tracer last week from a dealer 110 miles away, I was trading a ski boat, so needed to pull it down there making it impossible to bring my trailer. Brought the bike back in the bed of my pickup, and although fuel economy is better than pulling the trailer, I would trade that in a heartbeat for the ease of loading/unloading and the security of the trailer. Planning another trip to the beautiful Okanagan Valley next April, Covid permitting, and the trailer will be making the trip with the Tracer and two bicycles in there, and probably a lot of wine on the way home!

I always figured if I went down on the Norton, it would be because gas had filled up the primary case, causing the oil and gas mixture to leak out around the sprocket shaft and coat the rear wheel. This was NOT a theoretical concern, although it would never have happened if I hadn't forgotten to shut the fuel petcock off once with the bike on the side stand. One of those little life lessons! Either that or a loss of control caused by reaching down to (for the 100th time) push the coil wire for the number 2 cylinder back on to the coil when the engine would, without warning, suddenly start running on one cylinder. I got so I could do that in 5 seconds without ever looking down, and I think I could do it mid-corner. But all was forgiven when you pitched that super light bike into a corner or whacked the throttle open and had that twin kick you in the backside. Best of times, worst of times sums it up perfectly! Oh, I am well acquainted with the charms of the Wet Coast! I spent a lot of time in Seattle during my childhood, as my dad's sister and her family lived on a mountaintop above Bellevue. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Olympic Peninsula a couple of times. Oh, and my sister lives on Vancouver Island. Road my Yam 850 down to Seattle the summer of Mt. St. Helen's. Bags of ash were still sitting beside the highways waiting to be picked up and hauled away. Different zone, but I was actually in Cle Elum a year ago today for my cousin's wedding. Couldn't do that this year... Sigh. Thanks for the welcome! I'm looking forward to getting to know the bike. It is about 100 lb lighter than even my "sporty" XR1200 (H-D's are made with "Harluminum" doncha know; a material that looks like aluminum but is mysteriously 5 times heavier), with 20 more hp, so it should be fun. The XR's Buell based engine, however, gives you everything it has pretty much off idle. Runs out of breath about 6 grand, but it is a hoot in the lower and mid-range. This linear throttle response you speak of should be cool!

Hi from the heart of the Canadian prairie; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. I am so new here I don't even have my Tracer...yet. I am trading my ski boat for a new 2019 Tracer 900 GT on Friday, so I have been busy researching the bike in advance. I guess I shouldn't be in a rush; in this part of the world it will be months before I actually ride it. Between now and then it will stay warm and comfy in my airplane hangar. I am 61, and have been riding since I was 14. I have owned a Suzuki 90 dual purpose as a teenager, then bought a CB750 at age 16, which I toured all over northwestern North America on. Followed that with a Norton Commando 750. Never owned a machine that was so awesome and so awful at the same time. After that, I was emotionally fragile and vulnerable for a bit, so I bought a machine that was the exact opposite of the Snortin' Norton in terms of maintenance; a Yamaha 850 shaft drive triple. Toured and commuted with that bike for 8 years, with absolutely zero problems. The guy who bought it from me lost the bottom end of the engine within a couple of years, which turned out to be a common problem with that engine. Still, I loved the triple.... Got out of motorcycles for a few years after that machine, then re-entered with an FJ1200, which still has my favourite motorcycle engine to date. What a locomotive. That one met an untimely end under the minivan driven by our family veterinarian. Long story. Bought a true bad-boy bike after that; a Suzuki TL1000S. A true juvenile delinquent machine. Got out of bikes again after 5 years with that bike, but took a Harley softail on partial trade for a Corvette Z06, and boom! I was a motorcyclist again. Thought I would give the whole cruiser thing a try, but I absolutely despised the forward foot control riding position on that brute, although it was a gorgeous bike. Put it up for sale a few weeks later, and was offered a Harley XR1200 on trade (look it up; it is actually a really cool machine). I took that trade, and have been enjoying that machine for 6 years now. It is a bike with real personality, and with the right mods is a very capable sporting mount, which draws more looks and comments than any bike I have ever had. However, I want something lighter and less sonically obnoxious for riding in town (my XR has a Vance & Hines Black Widow exhaust on it that guarantees social distancing at all times), and a better option for sport touring, so here I am rejoining the Yamaha Triple club. Can't wait to get involved with this forum. Already learning a lot. I do know how to use the Search function lol. Will try to keep unnecessary questions to a minimum!